Washing-machine.



W. E. DEVORE.

WASHING momma APPLICATION FILED MAYS. 1909. 941,344. Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.'

- an'uemtoz Amman a. mum: ca. vaaw-manaum zns wasnmmo"w n. a

W. E. DEVORE.

WASHING MAGHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAYB. 1909.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. F l' 3 ampentoz \4 /'///21m i. Us vorc.

arm up ANDREW, 8.1mm. cm Pnmoumnqmmzu wnsnmcwn a c UNEEE PATENT @FFEQE.

WILLIAM E. DEVOBE, OF GIBSON CITY, ILLINOIS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Application filed May 6, 1909.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM E. Dnvoan, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gibson City, in the county of Ford, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in F ashing Machines: and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to washing machines.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a washing machine, the wash- .board of which will automatically adjust itself to the varying thicknesses of the clothes placed upon the same so that a uniform pressure will be exerted while the ma chine is being operated so that the clothes will receive a constantrubbing action without any possibility of tearing the same and also to avoid one portion of the clothes receiving more rubbing action than others.

Another object of the invention is the pro vision of a washing machine in which its rotatable scrubber is adapted to form a carrier for supporting clothes to be washed so that the same will be acted upon in a positive manner by the washboa-rd which latter is so mounted in the machine as to automatically adjust itself for maintaining a uniform pressure upon the clothes and at the same time prevent any possibility of injuring the same or the rubbing of certain portions thereof more than others.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a washing machine of this char acter which is simple in construction, durable in use, thoroughly eflicient in operation, and which may be constructed at but a slight expense.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, and as brought out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a top plan view with the head or cover removed. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1969. Serial No. 494,310.

scrubber removed with one of its bail clamps extended.

Similar reference characters indicate cor responding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

In the drawings the numeral 5 designates a receptacle which is preferably of substantially semi-cylindrical shape to form the tub for containing the water used in washing the clothes the same being mounted upon suitable legs 6, and is made of any suitable material but in this instance of metal. Upon the receptacle is mounted a removable cover or lid 7, and is formed with offset flanges 8, to engage the mouth portion of the receptacle at its inner face to provide a water tight closure and thereby prevent any possibility of the leakage or splashing of water from the receptacle when in use. Journaled centrally in the receptacle 5 is a rotatable scrubber comprising a drum 9, the latter fixedly connected to a rotatable driving shaft 10, which has its bearings in opposite side walls of the receptacle. The outer surface of the scrubber is preferably provided with a rubber surface 11 to produce the desired scrubbing action upon the clothes. Arranged at intervals circumferentially of the drum 9 and extending longitudinally throughout the length thereof are bail clamps 12, each of which is formed with right angularly disposed extensions 10, which latter are adapted to frictionally engage suitable sockets or recesses formed in the heads of the drum so as to permit the termi nals 13 to be slidably adjusted in the said sockets whereby the bail clamps 12 may be brought into close relation to the outer face of the drum for clamping clothes about the same. It is of course to be understood that when the bail clamps are extended the same will free the clothes for their detachment from the drum. Mounted within the recep tacle 5 is a washboard 14, consisting of a flexible corrugated section 15, the board hav ing one end connected to a fixed horizontally disposed bar 16, arranged at one side of the scrubber at a distance removed therefrom and mounted in the sides of the receptacle. Journaled in the sides of the receptacle 5 in the same plane with the bar 16 and on the opposite side of the scrubber with respect thereto is a shaft 17, to which is fixed the other end of the said section 15, the latter adapted to be wound and unwound therefrom automatically to maintain the washboard in close relation to the scrubber to exert a uniform pressure between the same upon the clothes.

Connected to one end of the shaft is an arm 18, the latter being disposed e xteriorly of the casing and to its free end is connected one end of a retractile spring 19, the latter having its opposite end connected to one of the legs 6, of the machine, and through the medium of this spring 19, the washboard 14, will automatically adjust itself to the varying thicknesses of the clothes placed between it and the scrubber and furthermore will maintain a uniform pressure upon the said clothes when the machine is in operation.

Connected to one end of the shaft 10, is a gear 20, which meshes with a gear 21 of less diameter, and this gear 21 is journaled upon a stud shaft 22, fixed to one side of the receptacle.

To either of the gears and 21 is adapted to be detachably connected a hand crank 23, for actuating the scrubber and in this manner the speed of rotation thereof may be increased or decreased at the will of an operator.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the invention will be clear, without the necessity of a more extended explanation, therefore the same has been omitted.

\Vhat is claimed is:-

A washing machine comprising a casing having a removable cover forming a water tight closure therefor, a rotatable scrubber journaled centrally in said casing and having adjustable bail clamps mounted therein, a rod disposed at one side of the scrubber and supported transversely in said casing, a rotatable shaft journaled in the casing transversely thereof and disposed at the opposite side of the scrubber in the plane of said rod, a flexible washboard connected to the rod and shaft, a crank fixed to one end of the shaft exteriorly of the casing, a retractile spring connected to the free end of the crank and adapted to tension the washboard, and means for rotating the scrubber.

In testimony whereof, I atfix my signa ture, in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM E. DEVORE.

Vitnesses J. W. CALL,

RI-IEA PRESTON. 

